The Cat Returns 2: A Cat's Tail
by AkiraKittyCat
Summary: Haru turns into something she nearly did by one experience she previously had, she goes to Baron and helps her, along the way they start to realize their love for one another. Rated K for all audiences. also: this story was lovingly helped from Catsafari.
1. The Beginning

_~A Few Months after Returning From the Cat Kingdom~_

Haru was sitting in her room, reading, when a bright glow suddenly encompassed her hand. Her eyes widened, a scream built up in her throat until the light became too much and she had to close her eyes. When she opened them, her hands were no longer hands but fur-covered paws.

The scream muffled into a meow and she started to run towards her door until she remembered her mother. She turned on heel and fled towards her window instead, heading towards the Bureau. She ran towards Muta, whose eyes had widened at the arrival of cat with the beautiful tan coat – almost as beautiful as his, or at least that's what he thought – and the chocolate brown eyes. She started to rapidly talk until a certain cat Creation exited the Bureau house.

"Miss Haru? Is that you? What has happened?"

Haru ran towards Baron, misjudging her balance with the addition of a tail and knocking them both to the ground. Baron was confused and Haru seriously freaking out; she was almost as tall as him, coming up to his chin when she stood on her hind legs. Baron was fixing to tell her to calm down when another voice shouted, "Hey, you!"

In the entrance of the Sanctuary, an ash-grey coated cat with dark blue eyes stood.

Baron got up and brushed his vest, while Haru went straight for the newcomer. "Aren't you that cat I saw on my way here?"

The stranger nodded.

"Why did you follow me here? I don't know you."

The stranger had the decency to look somewhat abashed. "Well, you're the prettiest cat I have ever seen on the streets before," he started, "so–"

"That doesn't mean you can stalk me!"

"No, wait! That's not what I meant!"

The two Bureau felines joined the conversation, causing the mysterious ash-colored cat to glance their way. "Who are you?"

Baron tipped his hat. "I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, and this is my friend, Muta. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

While the stranger stood there, speechless, Muta ignored the pleasantries and when straight for the question that was on all of their minds. "So why'd ya follow Chicky?"

The ash-colored cat looked the rather round feline up and down. While the stranger stood tall and proud, Muta slouched and grimaced. "Why would I want to tell you, puff ball?"

Muta fumed. "Puff ball?! PUFF BALL?! WE'LL SEE WHO'S A PUFF BALL WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!"

They continued to argue until Baron interceded with, "Well, sir, you have still failed to explain your presence. Who are you and why _did_ you follow Miss Haru here?"

The stranger disentangled himself from the beginnings of a fight and, straightening his clothing, said, "Well, I saw her when I was walking and wanted to know her name, but she ran and so I followed." He bowed to Haru, making the tan cat blush slightly. "My name is Sugi, and I apologise if I scared you."

"It's okay," Haru mumbled. "Just... don't do it again."

Baron smiled. "Well, Sugi, it would appear that Miss Haru apparently doesn't know you. But now that all is cleared up, perhaps it's time we discussed the issue at hand."

The Bureau members, plus their two guests, adjourned into the little green house, Muta collapsing onto the red couch and Haru taking a seat next to him. Baron offered tea, which Sugi and Muta refused, but Haru immediately said yes to. Upon handing the cup of tea to Haru, Baron's hand brushed against hers, and the tan cat had to bite back a blush. She smiled and sipped the tea.

After the tea was done and drunk, Haru yawned and caught the cat Creation's attention.

"Miss Haru, I have a few guest rooms in the back of the house; would you like to stay in one of them for the night?"

Haru shook her paws before her to show she didn't want to bother him. "Oh, no need; I don't want to be a burden to you."

Baron smiled. "You won't be a burden to me at all, and you need your sleep, Miss Haru," he said softly. He led her to the last room at the end of the hall. He opened the door and Haru awed in surprise.

"Baron, this is amazing! You have the best taste."

"Thank you, Miss Haru. I hope it is to your liking for the night."

She turned around and smiled warmly at Baron, a smile that made his heart melt. He smiled back and left the room.

Haru turned back around and walked towards the mirrored dresser, where she could see her reflection staring back. Her appearance was almost that of her Cat Kingdom form, instead this time she really had turned into a full cat. She sighed; there was nothing to be done about it just yet. She walked towards the silky bed sheets where she slipped through the blankets and drifted off into dreamless sleep.

Haru woke the next morning to the smell of tea. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she looked over to the bedside table to see a little tray with tea and a slice of coffee cake. She smiled and started to eat into the morning offering.

Baron's handsome face appeared at the door. "I take it you found the coffee cake then? I hope you like it; I baked it myself."

Mid-mouthful and none too dignified for it, Haru blushed from embarrassment and swallowed the last of the cake. "I love it."

Baron returned the blush at the praise, muttering something that Haru didn't catch.

"What was that, Baron?"

The Creation shook his head. "Oh, my dearest apologies, Miss Haru; it's nothing. Please do not worry over it."

Haru smiled, but the smile was sad for the secrets she knew he kept. "Alright, I give my word I won't, but..."

"What is it, Miss Haru?"

Baron was rendered speechless when she jumped from the bed and hugged his chest tightly. "Please don't hide things from me; it hurts to see you covering something up." She looked up, her caramel-brown eyes tinted with gold and a shine that betrayed unshed tears.

Baron returned her hug, and held her closer by the moment. "I promise, Haru."

Haru smiled, but it faded as she heard something; her triangular, feline ears twitched, looking for the source of the sound.

"Is something wrong, Miss Haru?" Baron released her from his embrace, whereupon she walked towards the door, opened it, and a fat cat and black crow fell from it.

"Uh-oh..." Toto said.

Haru grabbed both eavesdroppers by the scruff of their necks and yelled, at the top of her lungs, "YOU WERE SPYING ON US?!"

Muta thought his ears were going to bleed. "It was the fatso's idea!" Toto claimed. "I SWEAR!"

Muta glared daggers at the bird. "My idea?!" he demanded.

"Yeah, your idea! You got me into this!"

"I thought you went by your own orders, so why would I bother asking you?!"

They continued arguing, but Baron and Haru managed to slip away from the growing yelling; they sighed in relief as they reached the noticeably quieter living room. They shared a conspiring look. "Want to go for a walk around town to escape those two?" Haru asked. "You don't have to say yes if you–"

"I would love to, Miss Haru."

They both smiled, at which point Haru said – almost slapping a paw against her head in abrupt realisation – "Oh! We should probably leave a note for them, just in case they start to wonder where we disappeared to."

Baron nodded and went to his desk and started writing a note for the arguing cat and crow.

He finished writing the note and set it on the table in the middle of the couches.

"And we're off!" giggled Haru.

Baron opened the door for her like any gentleman would do, and the two walked out into the sunshine; the light caught Haru's fur and glistened in sandy, tan shades. Baron blushed, pushing the admiration to one side and went back to looking forward as they walked out of the Bureau and past the Sanctuary archway.

Haru showed Baron across town, keeping out of sight of the people who might have been a little more than just surprised at the strange couple. They passed a myriad of stores, all of which amazed the Creation at the things he was missing out on. They found a carnival on one of the town greens. Haru grabbed Baron's hand and ran towards the fairground, while to Baron the strangely-coloured festival was both a mystery and an adventure – and even more the adventure for being with Haru.

They snuck onto rides – only narrowly avoiding detection in a few tight cases – and their final ride of the day was the Ferris wheel. Night had fallen by then and the whole town was lit up in the glow of lampposts and cars and the warm glow of houses. The beauty quite took Haru's breath away.

As the night air cooled, a shiver ran through her. A moment later something warm went over her shoulders; she looked to her side to see that Baron had given his jacket to her. He smiled warmly at her, warm enough to immediately wipe away the chill, but she still had the urge to cuddle next to Baron. Eventually she couldn't hold it anymore and she wiggled over to him. He stared down at her with loving green eyes and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her yet closer.

After the ride had finished and Baron had helped Haru off, they decided that it was time to head back to the Bureau. As they left the fairground behind them, something stopped the Creation dead in his tracks. He stared at something in the distance.

"Baron...?"

Haru gasped as she saw three very large, _very_ aggressive dogs heading straight for them. Baron stepped before Haru protectively as the dogs herded them to a dead-end wall. Haru was scared at first, but then she remembered she was a cat and cats can hold their own. She had claws. She had agility. What chance did the dogs stand against her? An evil grin crept its way onto her face; she walked straight past the defending Baron who was just fixing to attack.

She stood before the dogs, their fangs sharp and jaws slick with saliva, but that didn't scare the new Haru. Her claws slid out from their sheaths.

"Let's play... fetch."

The first dog went in for the attack; somewhere in the background Haru heard Baron's yell of, "Haru, look out!" She only gave a smile that belonged to the Cheshire Cat as she spun and clawed the dog's eye. It whimpered and collapsed to the ground.

She ran behind the other dogs, leaping onto their backs and sinking her sharp claws into their soft flesh. Their howls of pain spiralled into the night and she jumped off them and landed before Baron, breathing heavily but triumphantly. The dogs scarpered, while Baron had to do his best to stop his jaw dropping to the floor.

Haru grinned. "Where were we?" she asked, and started to walk back.

By the time they finally got back to the Bureau, darkness had definitely set in and the night was underway. Haru was fixing to grab the Bureau door handle when Baron's hand curled around her wrist. "Baron..." Haru said softly, turning to look at him.

He gave an uncharacteristically nervous breath and retrieved something from his pocket. It was a red collar with a heart-shaped bell on it; something he had managed to find during their day out. As he placed it around Haru's neck, her heart doubled in rate; she smiled and wrapped her arms around him. She held him close, as did he, so close that not even a breath of air could pass between them.

Haru looked up and Baron took her chin with the tips of his fingers and tenderly, lovingly, passionately kissed her.

Haru felt his love and emotions flood into her as he kissed her; she wrapped her arms around his neck making sure he wouldn't break the kiss early. One way or another they needed to breathe; Haru broke the kiss, but gave him a soft kiss before they entered the house.

Haru looked like a happy-go-lucky leprechaun who had just found a pot of gold, while Baron looked like his smile would break his face, earning a strange look from Muta and Toto. The latter two noticed the new heart-shaped bell around Haru's neck just before the tan-colored cat disappeared into her room. She shut the door softly behind her, leaving a crack open just enough for anyone to walk in. Baron saw this and, giving an evil grin, walked into Haru's room and shut the door firmly behind him.

Muta and Toto sighed, both saying at the same time, "Young Love."

_~In Haru's Room~_

Haru cuddled to the figure beside to her. Baron. They were lying in her bed, her head laid on his soft cotton shirt as she slowly drifted to sleep and his hand running through her hair. And soon he became sleepy as well and fell into slumber with Haru sleeping by his side, sleeping like an angel.

And to him, every moment with Haru was precious, and he didn't want anyone to take that away from him, not _now, _not _ever._


	2. Catnapped!

The next morning, Haru woke up with company. With tired, but content, eyes she looked up to see Baron lying beside her and, hitting on an idea, untangled herself from his embrace. She rolled out of the bed and, once she saw the corridor was empty, headed towards the kitchen. Her footsteps were silent, her feet featherweight against the wooden floor. She slipped past the couches and reached the counter where Baron usually made his tea. She started on a cup, boiling a selection of tea leaves and adding two drops of milk to the mixture.

After finishing the tea, she took the cup to Baron, smiling softly at the sleeping Creation. She set the tea down on the bedside table and returned to the living room, picking up a basket as she exited the Bureau. To her surprise, she came across Toto and Muta, actually managing to stay within ten metres of one another without starting World War Three.

"Hey, Toto," Haru called. "Since we can't exactly buy mulberries, what do you say to us looking for a mulberry bush somewhere?"

Toto's face lit up. "Are you going to make mulberry pie?!"

Haru nodded, causing Toto to fly up into the air with delight. Haru laughed. "I'll take that as a yes then!" She hopped onto the crow's back when he came down to land, weaving her hands through his feathers and shouting to the fat cat, "Muta, tell Baron that Toto and I have gone to look for mulberries!"

Muta was already drooling at the thought of Haru's mulberry pie. "Only if ya promise to make a whole pie for me."

Haru giggled. "Okay, Muta. Thanks."

They flew off, leaving Muta to dream of mulberry pie while they skirted over the town and towards the forest.

The forest wasn't a safe place, especially for certain individuals who had recently shrunk into a cat, but it was the only place mulberries could grow due to the special blend of soil. Still, Haru had heard the stories; she knew many people had been attacked in the very forest they were now landing in. Haru slipped off Toto's back, patting his side as her feet hit the earth.

"Okay, Toto, I'll find the mulberries. You keep an eye out for wild dogs."

She jumped and leaped from branch to branch, blurring through the forest, until she came into sight of a bush thick with blue berries. She hopped down from the foliage and headed for the mulberry bush when a growl rose from behind her. She stiffened. Stopped.

She turned and found her way blocked by dogs.

Six of them.

A moment passed in which neither the tan cat, nor the hound pack, moved.

And then a dog pounced.

The adrenaline within her shifted into something else entirely and the same confidence from before took over. Her body kicked into gear, throwing her to the side before the hound's teeth could sink into her. It turned angrily, releasing a volley of barks that caught Toto's attention. He flew towards the sound. "Haru!"

The dogs all turned on Haru at once, but she leapt gracefully over them and landed firmly a pair of heads. She released her claws into the skulls, drawing blood and raking the scars across their heads. She bounded off, leaving the two canines to drop to the ground while she landed behind another pair of dogs. She didn't give them a chance to turn before she slid beneath them, running her claws along their stomachs and feeling her claws cut skin and organ.

Two dogs remained.

She grabbed a sharp, arrow-headed rock from the ground and slammed it into one approaching hound. She twisted the stone into the side, watching it whimper and finally collapse.

One dog remained.

She turned to the final creature where it stood, frozen with fear. Her eyes bore into its, and the dog saw golden flames within her gaze. She hissed. The dog jumped and ran.

From the flap of approaching wings, Haru heard Toto's arrival. She turned, her heart-shaped bell ringing at the movement, while Toto viewed the carnage. He stared at the wild dog's bodies littering the ground, and then to Haru, idly picking berries from the bush. His beak went slack as he saw the state of Haru's bloodstained fur and paws.

The tan cat only smiled. "Oh, don't worry about me. There's a stream up ahead; I can wash my paws up there."

Toto slowly closed his beak and said nothing on the subject. He watched Haru pick her fill of berries, clean herself free of the blood, and then – as if nothing extraordinary had happened – returned to him and they flew back.

They landed safely at the Bureau, immediately catching Muta's attention.

"What took you so long?" he demanded. "Do you have any idea how boring it is to be stuck here with Baron moping like a melted marshmallow?"

"What's wrong?" Haru asked. She jumped off Toto, landing on the cobbled ground of the Sanctuary.

"He wouldn't stop asking where you went, Chicky."

Haru blushed. "Well, you can tell him I'm back now."

Muta nodded, but the message was never passed on as Baron took that moment to appear at the Bureau doors. He ran, embracing Haru so tightly that all breath was cut off from her. She tilted her head enough to ring her collared bell, conveying her dilemma to Baron. He released her and she gasped, drawing in a long, grateful breath that dissolved into a giggle. "Well, at least I can breathe now."

"What took you so long?"

"A few wild dogs might have gone for me," Haru said lightly, waving it away with, "but I didn't get hurt." Baron's eyes were furious, but Haru sighed and added, "And, Baron, don't give me that look. I'm fine. I promise."

Baron released a harsh sigh and turned to the Bureau's entrance to cool off from all the recent attacks.

Haru shook her head and started to head inside, only to have the uneasy feeling of another attack coming. She stopped, catching the attention of Muta and Toto. Muta leant down to meet Haru's gaze and then – abruptly – backed away.

"Hey, Chicky; I don't remember your eyes being b-blood red."

Haru snapped out of her trance, her eyes returning back to their soft caramel gold. Her grip on the basket tightened, almost making the handle break, but the look she gave the other two held no indication of her uncannily harsh grip. "Huh? Oh, sorry, Muta; I just feel sick, is all. Don't tell Baron, unless you don't want any pie," she whispered. She smiled evilly at the fat feline, who just nodded at the threat of no pie.

Haru's happy smile returned a second later, clearing away all doubt from the moment before, and she walked inside to start on the pie. She had only got as far as setting down the basket on the counter before Muta slammed open the Bureau doors and yelled, "Haru! Baron's gone!"

A thrill of adrenaline shot through Haru's system, quickly followed by a cool, calm collectedness. Her blood-red eyes returned, making Muta turn stiff as concrete. As the tan cat stalked past him – pie and basket forgotten – a chill ran up Muta's spine.

She came to the entrance, where she had last seen the dapper cat. Her claws slid free from their sheaths, the anger and worry simmering in a potent mixture in the pit of her stomach, as she came into view of a jet-black portal. Baron's suit jacket lay abandoned on the ground.

"MUTA! TOTO! LET'S GO!"

With the other two close behind, Haru walked into the unknown of the black portal.

ooOoo

Haru woke up with her back lying against a cold, concrete surface. She sat up and opened her eyes only to come into view of a place that looked like... a palace? It couldn't be the Cat Kingdom.

She dropped her paws against the ground, preparing to push herself to her feet when she noticed something distinctly different about her paws. It wasn't enough that they had recently changed from human hands to cat paws, but now they were white also.

Her eyes travelled further up her arm, quickly coming to the conclusion that it wasn't just her paws. Her entire coat of fur had paled to the color of freshly-fallen snow. She jumped to her feet and found her reflection in a glass window.

A stranger stared back.

The white fur even extended across her face, smothering what had once been a beautiful tan coat into unmarked white. All except for her cheek, which bore a black half-moon symbol that she definitely didn't remember being there before. Blood-red eyes met hers.

"Oh, no, not again..."

She gave a sigh and turned her attention to the matter of her missing comrades.

"Toto!? Muta!?" she yelled. "Where are you guys?!"

She peered at the room around her which almost certain didn't contain either of her friends. She moved into the corridor beyond and squinted along the hallway, whereupon something rather peculiar happened. The nearest wall to her took on a rather insubstantial appearance, and then the spot she was looking at disappeared entirely. She leant her hand against the surface and found she met resistance. Her palm rested against something that was definitely a wall but was more akin to a glass window in appearance.

"Well that's trippy..." she murmured.

She took her new looking-through-walls power in her stride, using it to locate her absent friends. If it occurred to her that the newfound ability was because of her eyes, she didn't let it faze her. It never even occurred to her that the blood-red eyes might come with yet more powers.

She found her way out of the building and discovered Muta and Toto collapsed on the grassy ground. She ran to them and helped them up. "Muta? Toto? Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah, Chicky, I'm–" Muta broke off and stared at the once-tan cat's transformation. His eyes travelled over the white fur and red eyes, and finally rested on the black symbol. "Hey, your fur–"

"Tell me something I don't know," Haru interceded. "But that's not important right now – what is important is that we find Baron. I believe he's in trouble."

With all that said, Haru helped Muta stagger to his feet, while Toto had no problem; the bird covered his beak with his wing and snickered. "Fatso."

"Hide!" Haru whispered, cutting across before Muta could retaliate. She dragged them through a door and into something resembling a cloakroom. Haru continued with, "There are guards, and we need to get past them, but..."

Toto and Muta looked at her, then at themselves, and finally Toto pointed out, "Butterball's too fat for a disguise and I'm a crow." Unsurprisingly, Muta shot a daggered glare to the bird.

Haru looked around and realised the nature of the room they occupied. The cloakroom was filled with pieces of oddbod clothing – hopefully something had be good enough for a disguise. She selected a shapeless robe and pulled it on, at which point it fell straight past her knees and hit the floor.

"You're too small, Chicky."

"It's just too long," Haru amended, and she ripped the robe from the thigh downwards, ripping up the remaining material to form a sash about her waist. The overall effect was one of a tunic top when combined with the trousers beneath.

Seeing what Haru was up to, Toto selected a hat and leather black boots from the side. Haru pulled the hat on, tucking stray strands into the brim and straightening the white feather attached. She pulled the knee-high boots on and grabbed a leather jacket from a pile of abandoned clothing.

Her fingers brushed against something metal as she did so; she hesitated and then drew out a scabbard from the pile. She tested the weight of the sword, finding its feel and balance to her liking. She sheathed it and tied the scabbard to her makeshift belt.

Haru turned to her companions and found them staring at her. They couldn't tell if she was a pirate or a musketeer, but at least she now had a disguise that made her look like a guy. Almost.

"Hey, you forgot your necklace," Muta grunted.

Haru's eared perked up and her paw flew to the bell. "I won't take this off; if they ask, I'll say it's from a sweetheart." Well, true enough. Toto and Muta sighed, realising this was one argument they wouldn't win.

"You two should scout out the area, see if you can figure out where we are," Haru said. "When that's done, meet back here."

The two nodded, Toto picking up Muta and flying out of the room. Haru turned away, the raw anger still simmering within her – threatening to do a lot more than simmer; it was threatening to boil over in a furious vent. She bared her teeth, grinding them together to hold back from yelling at the top of her lungs. How dare they take Baron?

The ire cooled enough for her to control, enough for her to walk past the guards unnoticed. Her disguise was working; they weren't giving her a second glance. They, and every other cat who worked for whoever owned this piece of junk, stayed out of her way.

She stopped in front of what appeared to be a training ground, where an old cat with dark grey fur stood. He looked her way. "Hello, boy! You look new. Welcome to the training grounds," he greeted, waving his paw for her to approach. "What's your name, son?"

'Oh, no, a name? Uh... come on, Haru – think!' "Aguri," she blurted out. She hastily bowed. "My name is Aguri, sir."

The old cat smiled and said, "Well, my boy, where did you come from?"

"My father sent me here to train."

"In that case, he sent you to the right place. My name is Mahito. Welcome to the team."

Haru finally took note of the three other cats present, all white with black and brown spots and two with golden yellow eyes. The last had only one amber eye; the other was a sky-lit blue. All three bowed, and the two identical cats introduced themselves as Sachio and Sunao. The mismatched-eyed feline stepped forward last, bowed, and said, "It's my greatest honor to meet you, Aguri. My name is Yasuki."

"An honor?" Haru echoed confusedly. She tilted her head to one side and asked, "Why?"

Yasuki seemed perplexed by Haru's ignorance, and replied, "Well, a feline of such eyes and coat... not to mention your symbol... I see that as an honor."

That didn't do much to clear up Haru's confusion. "How so?"

"Eyes as red as yours... I have only heard of them in ancient stories and, as for the moon symbol – well, it represents a power nobody has ever seen before. I'll tell you more later but, for now, we need to test your skills."

Haru nodded and walked into the ring with Sachio.

They stood on opposite sides of the ring, swords drawn and at a defensive stance. Mahito started to count down. "Three... Two... One!"

Sachio instantly charged, his sword low and aiming for Haru's legs, but the white cat simply dodged. Her leg slid into this, tripping him onto his back and rendering him open to Haru's blade. Sachio dropped his sword in defeat, raising his paws.

"Impressive for your first day," Mahito whistled. "Are you sure your dad didn't give you training already?"

Haru shook her head. "I never knew I could. I guess I can do a lot of things I never knew of."

Sunao was the next one to move into the ring, hefting his sword in one paw. He charged, but this time Haru moved to meet him – before their blades met though, Haru flipped into the air, her moon symbol turning the same shade as her scarlet eyes and emitting a red wave that left Sunao paralysed where he stood. She landed behind him, twisting round in preparation for Sunao's attack, but it never came. She lowered her blade and extended a morbidly curious paw to pat at Sunao's chest. He didn't move, didn't even blink.

"Oops..." With little idea quite how she caused that, Haru closed her eyes and concentrated in overt optimism. A moment later she felt a warm glow upon her cheek and Sunao moved back into animation, moving freely, if a little confused.

Haru's ears perked up as she heard a call that sounded significantly crow-like. She bowed to the cats, more than a little relieved to excuse herself after that show. "Excuse me; I must be going now." She sheathed her sword and ran towards the sound, only to have someone block her way before she got that far.

She stopped, staring at the light brown cat whose light blue eyes stared evenly right back. One scar ran past his eye, and another one extended over his shoulder. They looked like... claw marks?

"Hello, there."

Haru gritted her teeth and tried to move past him; the strange cat blocked her way. "I'm in a hurry right now, so if you'll just excuse me–" She was fixing to go until two guards appeared from the sides and held her in place. The unfamiliar feline only grinned.

"I'm sure you can wait at least until you give me a name."

It was Haru's turn to grin. "If you want my name, you're going to have to catch me first." She twisted out of the guards' hold, leaping up into the air and kicking off from their heads to jump past them. Her red eyes shifted to see past the walls around her, enabling her to locate Muta and Toto. The brown cat watched her go, smiling from ear to ear with more malice than ever.

Haru ran to her friends. "So?" she asked. "What did you find? Have you found Baron?"

The crow nodded, motioning his head towards another part of the grounds. "He's in a white tent; quick, hop on and I'll take you there."

Haru didn't need to be told twice, she leapt onto his back and, grabbing a protesting Muta in the process, Toto flew them to the tent. Haru jumped off before they had even touched ground, sprinting towards the aforementioned tent. The guards made to stop her, but her black moon reddened and they were left frozen in place. She ran past them, barely even noticing what her powers had done, and certainly making no conscious effort on that part. She tore the entrance open and skidded inside to where Baron was tied to the central wooden pole.

Upon the appearance of the snow-white, red-eyed feline, Baron made no connection to the Haru he had known. The strange feline knelt beside him, locating a pocket knife and slicing loose the rope. "Why did you–?"

"It's me, Baron. It's Haru," his rescuer said. The voice was the same, if not the appearance. But, then again, she had changed so much in the last few days alone. "I know I look different, but we need to get you out of this first." The last few bindings were cut and Baron drew her into an embrace.

Then the brown cat walked in, slowly clapping his paws. "Well, well, well... What a happy reunion."

Baron released her; she spun round and hissed at the figure that stood before them. Her symbol glowed and it all went white...

I COULDN'T HELP IT! It was just perfect for a cliff hanger! Don't call me mean ;(


End file.
